Blog Post from Hanna Reisdorff September 11, 2012

It's a Small, Small World in SE Asia

After this past week and a half,my passport has a few more stamps in it! I have added two more countries to my "I've been there!" list, and it was one of my best trips ever. 

Three of our Burmese students here at Legacy had been given the wrong type of visa for their stay in Thailand – one young married couple (with a 3 year old son) and another teenage boy, Aj. Abby and I were asked by our boss to take the students out of the country to a Thai Embassy and help them apply for a new visa. So, with about two days notice, the six of us headed off to Lao. One very long night-bus, a tuk tuk, and several drivers later, we were in Vientiane.

Our tuk tuk ride to the "Friendship Bridge" at the Border of Lao and Myanmar

Vientiane is the capitol city in Lao and is located right on the border of Lao and Thailand. The border is formed by the Mekong River, which also runs along the Myanmar border further north. The city of Vientiane looks out over the river and the view of Thailand was one of my favorite things in the city, along with the French-inspired food in the area. Lao was originally colonized by the French.

Mo Palel and I in the Lao national library.

We spent one week in Vientiane applying for visas, splitting our time between the Myanmar Embassy and the Thai, but we still had time to enjoy the city. The local playground was Sora's favorite. "Sora" beans "Blessing" -- what a great name for a little boy!

At the playground with Sora!

The visa application for Sora was something Legacy has never dealt with before. The student visas went through smoothly and without a problem, but the Thai Embassy required different paperwork for minors… paperwork that we could only get in Yangon, the capitol of Myanmar.

So Abby took Mo Palel (the other Burmese student) back to the school and I went to the the Myanmar Embassy to apply for my own visa. A few days later, the family and I were ready to head to Myanmar.

Seng Aung, Jum Seng Pan, and Sora (Blessing) before the trip.

We arrived after two quick flights on Air Asia. During this flight Jum Seng Pan (Sora’s mother) learned the word ‘stingy’, seeing as how there were no blankets, pillows, no food, and water cost $1 each (equivalent to 8,250 KIP -Lao currency- or 3RM -Malaysian Ringit- Our layover was in Kuala Lumpur). Jum and Seng Aung (her husband) quietly informed me that this is typical Chinese business practice, and nobody likes the Chinese in Myanmar.

Once we arrived, we were greeted by Muzaw and ‘Auntie’ Tumar -- the local elder and his wife. They took over the visa applications and research from there because they have friends working at various Embassies and government offices and are able to speak the language.

Burmese was funny for me to listen to this trip. There are a lot of ‘bo’, ‘buh’, ‘baw’ and ‘boo’ sounds. Somehow, I seemed to pick it up a little bit faster than Thai… I could understand a bit of the conversations around me by the time I left!

My time in Myanmar was wonderful! Not only were the people unbelievably friendly, but I got to see some amazing sights. Yangon is a huge city that is built ‘out’ instead of ‘up’. Government regulations state that no building can be built higher than the Shwedagon Pagoda,an impressive building in the city. Instead, you find street after crowded street of apartments, shops and restaurants. I found it fascinating, but Auntie Tumar begged me to stop taking pictures of the ‘ugly’ part of town.

The streets of Yangon all looked like this.

I got to see seeral pagodas while in Myanmar, but the most impressive was the Shwedagon Pagoda.

The Shwedagon Pagoda from afar

It was massive and there were hundreds of people gathered to worship. While the art and architecture was impressive, the massive number of people gathered together there was the thing that impacted me the most. Especially with Trumpets, Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles coming up, the sight made me so grateful for my calling… and so grateful that all of these people will one day have a chance to understand what is true!

This man goes to the Pagoda only in the early afternoons when the sun is the brightest. He looks unblinkingly at the gold surface of the pagoda for between one and two hours each day. He believes the pain and damage done to the eyes is the required from of worship towards Buddha.

I also got to experience a little bit of the Burmese culture… one cultural difference between the Western world and Myanmar is that here in Myanmar… it’s polite to eat with your hands! I embraced the tradition and gave it a go. It was a very messy meal, but delicious. The food Auntie Tumar made was some of the best I’ve ever had!!

Eating with our hands! "Auntie" Tumar, Seng Mai (Seng Aung's sister), and I at the dinner table.

After spending the weekend (5 days) in Myanmar, it was time for me to come back to school. The visas are still not completed, but the job is being taken care of by Tumar and Muzaw. All the students, and the teachers are looking forward to when the paperwork is finished, and the family can come back to class.

So for me it’s back to class planning, farm work and takraw for a few weeks. On the 19th, my mom arrives – then, the fun begins again!